FEELING Answered Prayers

Welcome There is nothing quite like knowing when our prayers have been answered. I hope we remember to say “thank you” to our loving Father for His love and power in these exciting circumstances. Sometimes we don’t even realize we are experiencing an answered prayer until we are literally sitting in the midst of the blessings. Then the feelings aren’t just good, they are exquisite! Thank you for allowing me to share a few of these moments from my life. I look forward to my readers sharing some as well. Note–I may receive a small compensation from advertisers or affiliate links seen on this blog. For further information, please see my terms and disclosure page.

Food For Thought Isn’t it a great feeling when we get the answers we want to our prayers? Seeing a parent come through surgery and begin to heal is a time to praise God. Giving birth to a beautiful, healthy baby is a “Thank You, Jesus!” moment for sure. Having the monthly budget work out in our favor is an answer to many of our prayers. But it’s easy to miss the answers to some of our “smaller” prayers, if there is such a thing! We don’t even realize that a prayer has been answered, until much later. But if we are lucky, we will indeed have a moment to realize that we are sitting in the midst of answered prayers. In the past few months I have been blessed to notice some of these moments.

A recent time when I felt this was back in June. My husband and daughter and I took a picnic lunch to one of my favorite spots in the city. In the middle of the city near where we live is a large beautiful park with flower gardens, ponds, large trees, and rolling green hills. We ate our lunch and just laid back on our quilt enjoying the sunshine and breeze. As I was laying there next to my husband and daughter I had this profound feeling, and it’s kind of hard to describe. I realized I had prayed for this exact moment earlier in my life! This park is relatively close to the first apartment I had when I moved to the city and took my first job. I spent a lot of time here in those younger days, exercising or just laying in the sunshine with a good book. I was single, but I often prayed for a husband and family that I could share time with in this same park. I witnessed other families playing and enjoying time together here. I saw couples snuggled together on their quilts or strolling hand in hand through the park. In my singleness, I prayed that some day I would experience what these people had. Now on this particular June day, I was reminded, not just of the blessings of the day, but I had in fact prayed for this moment earlier in my life and that prayer had been answered. I was so moved by the experience I shared it with my husband. I think he thought I was being a little kooky, but I meant it. I was feeling an answered prayer in that moment.

Since then, I think I have become more aware of these answered prayers. Sitting in church with my husband and daughter a few months ago I had that same feeling. Again, before we were married, I often prayed for the moments of sitting in church with a loving husband’s arm around my shoulder or his hand in mine. To be honest it has been a long road to get to this answered prayer, but it has come in time, and I’m not just thankful, I’m feeling the blessings. Even something as simple as helping at my daughter’s school party a couple weeks ago left me with this feeling of answered prayers. I know full well that I had prayed for an opportunity to participate in these “mom” activities at her school, and in a very round-about way, God has answered that prayer for me.

I share these stories to illustrate these three ideas. First, God may not answer our prayers at the time we pray them. It may take months, years, or even a decade or more to see the answers. The second point is that if we are paying attention and holding to our faith and belief, we will take notice of these answered prayers and have the reminder that God is listening. He has not forgotten about us and it will be an amazing feeling! Finally, I believe there are no “small” prayers and God listens to the prayers we offer, as we stroll through the park, quietly contemplate as we lay in the sunshine, or any other location we offer them. As the children’s Sunday School song says…”the blessings come down as the prayers go up.” Amen.

Today’s Scriptures I think reading the Psalms is a great place to experience the “feeling” of answered prayers. Many of David’s writings are so passionate, whether in times of need or times of praise. I can relate. That’s what I’m talking about when I say “feeling the blessings.” As I was looking for verses to relate to these experiences, I spent quite a bit of time reading in this book. There are just so many verses that praise God for His answers and blessings. I’m going to share a few today.

Psalm 96:1-4 “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name, proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.”

Psalm 138:1-4 “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; before the ‘gods’ I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth.”

Psalm 145:3-9 “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

These are just a few examples, but I do encourage you to spend some time in Psalms and reading about praise for all God has done.

Today’s Recipe My family does the picnic-thing occasionally. Sometimes we just grab some Subway on the way or we might grab deli items from the local supermarket. Other times, I pack a picnic basket with special treats. Today’s recipe is for some Deli Picnic Sliders. I used two types of turkey and two types of cheese for ours, but you could certainly substitute your favorite meats and cheeses. Also, they are not dressed until ready to serve to prevent soggy buns or spoilage. Neither make for fun picnic lunches! These also make great transportable sandwiches to take on your next tailgating adventure. Keep the sandwiches wrapped in foil and place in an insulated carrier to keep hot/warm until ready to serve. I throw some bags of chips, carrot and celery sticks, apple slices, and drinks into a rolling cooler for easy transport. And don’t forget the blankets!

Deli Picnic Sliders (makes 12 sliders)

1 package (12 count) King’s Hawaiian Rolls

8 oz smoked turkey breast, sliced

8 oz honey roast turkey breast, sliced

6 slices Colby Jack cheese

6 slices Cheddar Cheese

1 TBS butter

2 TBS Rocky Mountain Seasoning (This is a blend I get at Penzey’s that has a blend of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and such. You could make a blend of your own using these items.)

Mayo, mustard, pickles, or any other desired condiments

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Take a large piece of aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Remove rolls from package, but do not separate individually. Using a bread knife, slice horizontally across rolls to separate tops from bottoms. Place the bottom of rolls on foil. Place sliced meats and cheeses on bottom of rolls. Return tops of rolls. Melt butter and brush the tops of the rolls and sprinkle with seasoning. Wrap the foil ends up and over the bread, sealing closed, and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, open foil and cut into individual sandwiches using a large knife. Immediately wrap sandwiches back up in foil, if transporting for picnic or tailgating, and place in an insulated carrier. Place condiments of choice in cooler and add to sandwiches at time of serving.

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